An armed law enforcement officer carries a ladder Tuesday near the garage of a house located on Bloomer Road in the Town of Union Vale. The FBI and IRS were on the scene.

Written by

Roberto Cruz
Poughkeepsie Journal

A 60-year-old town woman is facing up to 55 years in prison, if she's found guilty of a series of charges, including cheating the Internal Revenue Service out of nearly $500,000, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Melanie Ferreira is charged with wire fraud, filing false claims with the IRS and bank fraud. The U.S. attorney's complaint alleges Ferreira lied about the taxes she paid to collect substantial refunds from the IRS.

In 2009, she filed an income tax return claiming interest income of $661,600 and having paid $661,536 in federal taxes, the U.S. Attorney's Office's statement says. She ...